On February 6, 2023, human rights organisations sent a letter to the Prime Minister of Morocco, Aziz Akhannouch, asking him not to extradite Hassan Al-Rabea to Saudi Arabia due to concerns about human rights violations he would face.
The letter was signed by the Moroccan Association for Human Rights, Qist for Human Rights, Mena for Human Rights, the Saudi European Organisation for Human Rights, and the World Organisation Against Torture.
The letter stated that on February 1, 2023, after a single hearing, Morocco's Court of Cassation rejected Al-Rabea's release request and ordered his extradition to Saudi Arabia. Moroccan security forces arrested Al-Rabea on January 14, 2023, while he was trying to travel to Turkey.
According to the letter, Al-Rabea's arrest is related to a series of retaliatory acts against his family because his brother Munir participated in the events of Qatif province. In February 2021, Saudi Arabia arrested Hassan, along with his two brothers, one of whom was Ali. Ali was subjected to enforced disappearance and then sentenced to death in November 2022 in a trial marred by serious violations, including extracting confessions under torture. In addition, in 2019, Saudi Arabia executed two of Hassan's cousins after unfair trials related to the Qatif protests.
The organisations pointed out that ten days after Al-Rabie's arrest in Morocco, the deputy head of Saudi State Security, Minister Abdullah bin Fahd bin Saleh Al-Owais, visited Morocco with a security delegation, where a security and counterterrorism cooperation agreement was signed. They explained that this decision is a blatant violation of human rights, international laws that Morocco has ratified, and its local laws. It is likely a direct result of the escalating repressive security cooperation between the two countries.
The organisations considered extradition as participation in the crimes that Al-Rabea is expected to face upon arrival in Saudi Arabia, which start with arbitrary detention to ill-treatment, torture, and unfair trials, and could even lead to arbitrary sentences and executions.
The message confirmed that the decision to extradite would violate the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which Morocco ratified in 1993. The United Nations Committee against Torture had requested that Morocco take temporary measures to suspend the extradition of Mr Al-Rabea until his case was reviewed.
The undersigned organisations explained that this decision is not unique, as Morocco handed over businessman Osama Al-Hasani to Saudi Arabia in March 2021, despite concerns for his life and safety. Therefore, the organisations urged the Moroccan Prime Minister to refrain from signing the deportation order against the Al-Rabiah family.